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Why can't CBFC allow anti-smoking messages in smaller font for South Indian Films too, asks this Kollywood director!

PUBLISHED DATE : 26/Mar/2019

Why can't CBFC allow anti-smoking messages in smaller font for South Indian Films too, asks this Kollywood director!

 

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), commonly known as the censor board stipulates that every film or TV material should display customary warnings about the hazards of smoking and alcohol consumption whenever the screen displays the use of the same.

This is why while watching a film of any language in our country, one often sees static disclaimers of ‘smoking kills’ and ‘smoking causes cancer’ whenever a cigarette is lit on screen. 

As per official rules, these messages should be in black font on a white background should be displayed for the duration of smoking scene in the film and not very surprisingly film-makers from all over India have taken aversion to this particular government rule. 

Now, while not all of the films have followed the said rules to the T, Tamil filmmaker Arun Vaidyanathan pointed out that recent Bollywood releases such as Ranveer Singh starrer Gully Boy (produced by Zoya Akthar) and Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee starrer Badla (produced by Shahrukh Khan) had the smallest fonts for these health warnings which did not 'interfere with the movie's narrative' and asked for CBFC to show the same leniency for South films too.

An user on twitter pointed out that the rule might already be in place for the same was observed in Harish Kalyan's latest release Ispade Rajavum Idhaya Raniyum.

It is worth mentioning here that film-makers and the audience have always been divided over the anti-smoking warnings over the years. While some believe that such messages do nothing but distrubs a film's flow, some believe that visual warnings is what works most in a country like ours where a major chunk of film viewers channelize entertainment as their primary source of 'culture' exposure.

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